BRUSSELS - NATO defense ministers will discuss pooling and sharing options here at a meeting June 8-9, part of the alliance's "smart defense" concept to more efficiently use resources.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said there would be a "preliminary discussion" among defense ministers, based on a presentation by Gen. Stéphane Abrial, the commander of NATO's Allied Command Transformation.
Based on responses from defense ministers, "concrete proposals" will be presented, "hopefully for approval" at a meeting in October, said Rasmussen.
He described smart defense as an ongoing project that NATO is working on with a view to its May 2012 summit. "It [smart defense] is the answer to the economic challenges we are faced with," he said.
Asked about NATO coordination with the European Union, he said it is "my intention to ensure cooperation between the EU and NATO to avoid any waste of taxpayers' money. If we are to reach the full potential of multinational cooperation, we need cooperation between NATO and the EU," he added.
Among other subjects, on June 8 defense ministers will take stock of progress made in protecting Libyans from the Gadhafi regime.
"I expect us to discuss how we plan for the day after Gadhafi goes," said Rasmussen. "When the [NATO] mission is over, I don't imagine NATO will play a primary role," he added. "It's the U.N. who will lead the transition [to a peaceful democracy]. NATO can provide a contribution. We are ready to help if we're invited to."
Rasmussen also said he would present a proposal on the geographic locations of NATO military command headquarters as part of the alliance's command structure reform.
"I think we can reach an agreement [on this] at the defense ministers' meeting," he said.
A NATO-Russia Council meeting on June 8 is expected to cover a wide range of issues relating to the partnership between Russia and NATO, including the idea of having one or two missile shields to protect Europe against missile attacks.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said there would be a "preliminary discussion" among defense ministers, based on a presentation by Gen. Stéphane Abrial, the commander of NATO's Allied Command Transformation.
Based on responses from defense ministers, "concrete proposals" will be presented, "hopefully for approval" at a meeting in October, said Rasmussen.
He described smart defense as an ongoing project that NATO is working on with a view to its May 2012 summit. "It [smart defense] is the answer to the economic challenges we are faced with," he said.
Asked about NATO coordination with the European Union, he said it is "my intention to ensure cooperation between the EU and NATO to avoid any waste of taxpayers' money. If we are to reach the full potential of multinational cooperation, we need cooperation between NATO and the EU," he added.
Among other subjects, on June 8 defense ministers will take stock of progress made in protecting Libyans from the Gadhafi regime.
"I expect us to discuss how we plan for the day after Gadhafi goes," said Rasmussen. "When the [NATO] mission is over, I don't imagine NATO will play a primary role," he added. "It's the U.N. who will lead the transition [to a peaceful democracy]. NATO can provide a contribution. We are ready to help if we're invited to."
Rasmussen also said he would present a proposal on the geographic locations of NATO military command headquarters as part of the alliance's command structure reform.
"I think we can reach an agreement [on this] at the defense ministers' meeting," he said.
A NATO-Russia Council meeting on June 8 is expected to cover a wide range of issues relating to the partnership between Russia and NATO, including the idea of having one or two missile shields to protect Europe against missile attacks.
No comments:
Post a Comment